STAMFORD -- As grand marshal of this year's Columbus Day Parade, Luciano Sclafani Jr. will definitely be adding some local flavor to the event.

The Stamford native runs Sclafani, an authentic Italian food importing business that has been serving the area for more than a century.

"I was very humbled," Sclafani said, of being chosen to lead the annual parade. "I think it's quite an honor."

Sitting in his Norwalk office, Sclafani said he was born and raised in Stamford, where the Italian population has a long list of accomplishments, serving as doctors, lawyers, politicians, builders, business owners and more.

"The Italian community has really shaped Stamford," he said. "I'm proud to be among them, proud to be in a family owned and operated business for years."

Michael Battinelli, parade chairman, said that when Sclafani's name was mentioned at a parade-planning meeting, it brought back memories of block parties in Glenbrook, where he'd donate food.

"Sclafani's name was always there," he said. "He always helped out and donated. He embodied the spirit of what we look for in a parade marshal."

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If you goThe parade kicks off Sunday at noon after mass at Sacred Heart Church, goes down West Broad Street, takes a right on Summer Street and ends in Columbus Park. Following the parade, there will be music, food and a festival in the park.

"He happens to be an Italian American who has done well," Battinelli said. "Business wise and he's benevolent to the community."

Sclafani's grandfather, Gus, introduced the brand in 1911, when he opened a warehouse on State Street. Gus went on to open the city's first Italian specialty store on the West Side in 1920 and what was then a state-of-the-art warehouse in Glenbrook in 1938.

The Sclafani products include San Marzano tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, pasta, tomato sauce, olives, vinegar, peppers and cheese. They can be found in Stop & Shop, Shop Rite, Italian stores and grocery stores around the country. The canned tomatoes are used exclusively at Pepe's Pizza in New Haven, one of the country's oldest and best-known pizzerias.

"It's been an easy sell for Sclafani because so many people on the East Coast grew up on it," Sclafani said. "They see the Sclafani name and they gravitate toward it."

Through the years, the business was passed on to Sclafani's father (who died in 1991) and then eventually to himself and his three brothers -- Gus, Bruce and Ronald. Sclafani had already worked for the family business as a teen, packing boxes in the warehouse, and then returned after going to college and getting drafted into the U.S. Army.

After 88 years of business in Stamford, Sclafani said the company outgrew the warehouse and it became outdated. So, they began shopping around and moved 14 years ago to the current location on Butler Street in Norwalk.

"Our roots were in Stamford, but there was no place else to build," Sclafani said.

Today, Sclafani said he works in Norwalk and lives in Trumbull, but is still involved in Stamford through the debating society and other organizations.

"I have a lot of roots in Stamford, a lot of contacts, my heart is still in Stamford," he said. "My grandfather started the business there and I grew up there. You don't forget your roots."

Walking around the company, Sclafani shows off pictures of his grandparents and parents, as well as news articles written about the business, stopping to greet two of his brothers and a nephew.

Heading into the warehouse, Sclafani says they purchased a former icehouse and ice skating rink and combined the two buildings. The renovations took two years.

The 60,000-square-foot warehouse is overwhelmingly large, with cases of 300 different kinds of Sclafani products stacked to the ceiling.

"It was a pivotal move," he said of moving to Norwalk. "If we didn't find this place, I don't know how we could be in business today."

Back in Sclafani's office, his products line the shelves and front of his desk. He says they sell only the best quality Italian foods, including all-natural San Marzano tomatoes grown in Italy. "We search the world for the best quality and try to keep additives out of it," he said.

This is the legacy that was passed down to them, and they're not going to change, he said.